Chocolate Almond Macaroons

This recipe is heaven. I came across it and knew that I had to make it immediately. I didn’t need any excuse, I would eat these all myself! They were definitely a hit!

I have had a few crazy months. Time has just slipped away and I have not had a chance to blog lately. The weather is warming up, and the days are getting longer, before we know it the holiday season will be here and we will be living from one delicious meal to another delicious meal. I love this time of year. It is lovely to have time off to spend with family and friends.

I am already looking for mouthwatering recipes to post, I have a few up my sleeve that I have been waiting to share.

I am very excited that my sister and her long time partner are engaged! Today I am busily baking away and trying out delicious recipes to have at the party. I found this recipe from Chef In Training and I had to try it out! I have made a few minor adjustments, but I am pretty sure I have captured the essence.

I love the coconut base for this biscuit, it reminds me of the ANZAC biscuit which is a very popular biscuit in Australia. The macaroons are delicious on their own, but the chocolate takes the humble macaroon to the next level. I have never shied away from adding chocolate to anything and my husband is always asking me where the chocolate layer is….

This recipe called for sweetened coconut which is something that is not found on the shelves of our local supermarkets here in Australia (I don’t think the UK have it either). So with a little bit of research, I found a way of sweetening the coconut used in this recipe. I have attached it at the bottom of this post. The sweetened coconut is not as dry and is much sweeter than what we can get here, so I thought it was worth sharing.

Chocolate Almond Macaroons

Ingredients:

5 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut**
1 cup castor sugar
6 tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
5 egg whites
1 cup toasted almonds, slivered

Chocolate ganache:

150g milk chocolate
1/4 cup cream

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180’C (350F). Line 3 baking trays with baking paper and set aside. Make the sweetened coconut if necessary.

Add the coconut to the bowl (if using unsweetened see below for the extra step) and mix in the sugar, flour and salt. Mix well before adding the egg whites and nuts. The mixture will be very much like any other cookie dough.

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls (about a rounded tablespoonful) and place on the lined baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove the macaroons from the baking tray and allow them to cool on a wire rack.

In a microwave proof bowl, melt the chocolate in 30 second intervals (or over a double boiler). When the chocolate is melted, add the cream and mix thoroughly until the ganache has a highly glossy finish. (If the ganache looks really dull and like burned chocolate add a small amount of milk, a teaspoon at a time and keep mixing until the ganache becomes shiny.)